New Non-American Ford Ranger Earns Euro NCAP 5-Star Crash Rating

Ford's new international Ranger is making waves today, as the Euro NCAP announced that the small truck just earned a 5-star crash rating, and an 89 percent overall rating, the highest ever for a truck.“Vehicle safety is a core value at Ford Motor Company and these independent test results confirm that not only is Ranger the highest rated vehicle in its class, it is also one of the highest rated vehicles ever assessed by Euro NCAP,” said Stephen Odell, chairman and CEO, Ford of Europe. “No one wants to be involved in an accident but if the worst were to happen, the new Ranger is proven to provide outstanding protection to occupants of all ages as well as pedestrians."That's an impressive feat for a truck, and no, it's still (probably) not coming to America. Ford has previously said it will end production of the little-changed small truck in December, despite confirmation from GM that a revamped Chevy Colorado should surface sometime for 2013.In September, the current model Ranger outsold the Colorado by a margin of more than 3-to-1, and trails only the Toyota Tacoma in monthly and year-to-date totals. That's a large segment of the market to ignore.To its credit, sales of the larger V-6-equipped F-150's are strong, and Ford is hesitant to introduce a competitor to its own best-seller. Still, Ranger fans are clamoring for an update, and Ford would eventually have to listen, right?